Find the 15% leaks.

[Guthrie]

Most people here seem to agree that you can teach nearly anyone to beat the 6.50s for 15% in 8 hours, and since "there is no variance," any breakeven player must have huge leaks in his game.

I'm a breakeven player over 2000 6.50s, having moved down from the 16s where I was 4% for >3000 tournies before the latest catastrophic downswing. Here are the hand histories for 22 tournies. They haven't been carefully selected to prove any point, they're just the last 22 I played. The only thing not typical about them is I didn't bust out the first or second time I pushed, and I actually won some all-ins, so there is a finish distribution of 2/2/4, and you can see how I normally play through all levels.

Feel free to take a look and tell me what I am doing that is so far wrong. If you were using these 22 tournies to teach a new player how to easily beat the 6.50s, what would you tell him to do differently than I'm already doing? What leaks can be fixed that would take me from 0% to 15%?

http://pages.suddenlink.net/cdstephens/hh22.zip

[Mingdu]

I respect this ... I don't have the experience yet to help much but this will be a good exercise for me. I'll go through them and let you know if I see anything.

[braminc]

ok dude, i just read the 1st HH ending in 22310, and theres a few problems already.
- first you folded 77 UTG in Level 1! this is a big mistake. you should be limping all pps from any position in unraised pots in the first 2 levels in such lowstakes games (you can tighten up just slightly at higher buyins, and by higher i mean 30-60s)

- there were a couple spots where your bb is minraised in level 1/2 where i probably wouldve completed because of great pot odds. if youre getting 5to1 or more, you should be completing with almost everything, for 15-20 chips. of course when you do this you have to be able to check fold trash middle pairs and top pairs weak kickers that you flop, but the two pairs, trips, and occasional flushes will add to your roi%

- and the last hand, you finally get AQs. i dont think you should be pushing here with 12bbs. its still too early. i havent sngpt'd it, but id bet its NOT a HUGE mistake, but its prob close to breakeven play. raise 2.5x bb and play some postflop. if you get repushed, consider folding depending on the player. but dont automatically start pushing hands on level 3 when you ahve over 10bbs!

ill be happy to look at more of these, one at a time, but i got [censored] to do at the moment

if others want to dispute my points, your all welcome,

[wiggs73]

Looked at the first one. You were card-dead and lost a flip to bust. What else is new in the world of SNGs, haha.

Anyway, the only 2 things I saw were:

michieltje85: posts small blind 10
eyesmasters: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Gorvad [7d 7s]
Gorvad: folds

I don't mind limping here.


Gorvad: posts small blind 15
mcbobo: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Gorvad [Kc 8d]
meanfatdogg0: folds
untdairlines: folds
dumarr13: folds
luckynuts73: folds
michieltje85: folds
eyesmasters: folds
Gorvad: folds
mcbobo collected 30 from pot

I don't mind completing here.


Big stuff huh? Maybe I will time to review some more later.

[EnderFFX]

[ QUOTE ]
Most people here seem to agree that you can teach nearly anyone to beat the 6.50s for 15% in 8 hours, and since "there is no variance," any breakeven player must have huge leaks in his game.

I'm a breakeven player over 2000 6.50s, having moved down from the 16s where I was 4% for >3000 tournies before the latest catastrophic downswing. Here are the hand histories for 22 tournies. They haven't been carefully selected to prove any point, they're just the last 22 I played. The only thing not typical about them is I didn't bust out the first or second time I pushed, and I actually won some all-ins, so there is a finish distribution of 2/2/4, and you can see how I normally play through all levels.

Feel free to take a look and tell me what I am doing that is so far wrong. If you were using these 22 tournies to teach a new player how to easily beat the 6.50s, what would you tell him to do differently than I'm already doing? What leaks can be fixed that would take me from 0% to 15%?

http://pages.suddenlink.net/cdstephens/hh22.zip

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm down for this, I'm at work, will look through when I get a chance. Let me just say a couple things:

1) I think your attitude is great. You have decent sample size and you are willing to not scream "variance/luck/people suck/blah blah"

2) It's possible you were just very unlucky during that period.

How many tables at once have you been playing? Over what period of time have you been playing? (last week, last 10 months, what?)

[braminc]

kk, 2nd HH, #22311

-when it got 6 handed early (level 3), i think its ok to limp a few extra hands, like T9s, you folded in unopened pot, why not limp there?

-should complete sb in level 3 with T9o. your being overly tight in your blinds (something ive only recently fixed in my game)

-36s on button with 10bbs, might be a push, but i like the fold.

however, 54s one hand later now in level 5, i think is a definite push
why? because you have just under 7bbs, small suited connector, and in CO in an unopened pot. one thing i also learned recently, is that high card isnt always the best push hand, being suited and connected ARE VERY IMPORTANT. for instance, id rather push with Q9s than K6o. or 78s than J4o, etc etc.

-Aj push is fine and obvious, last push same, no problems there.

[cha59]

I didnt read thru much but this comment caught my attention:

[ QUOTE ]
theres a few problems already.
- first you folded 77 UTG in Level 1! this is a big mistake. you should be limping all pps from any position in unraised pots in the first 2 levels in such lowstakes games (you can tighten up just slightly at higher buyins, and by higher i mean 30-60s)


[/ QUOTE ]

I think folding here is fine and better than open limping UTG. I like to play small & medium pairs too but I dont think UTG in level 1 is a great spot. I disagree strongly that folding is a mistake here.

[Velocity]

looking at the very last HH quickly

pokerface8: raises 780 to 800 and is all-in
CFriedSteak: folds
dan-o_1966: folds
Chemical502: folds
thomascf: folds
kappertje: calls 780
thomascf said, "so obvious"
*** FLOP *** [9s Ts 8c]
*** TURN *** [9s Ts 8c] [Qc]
*** RIVER *** [9s Ts 8c Qc] [6h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
pokerface8: shows [Kh Ah] (high card Ace)
kappertje: shows [As 2c] (high card Ace - lower kicker)


when i guy like that does something like this

*** FLOP *** [4h 2d 8h]
DNA2RNA: checks
Gorvad: bets 150
thomascf: raises 210 to 360
kappertje: raises 700 to 1060 and is all-in

you have to get your chips in with TT

there was no raise preflop which makes larger overpairs unlikely. the morons range is made of up tons of draws and one pair hands that you crush and very few sets don't pass up on free money from an idiot

I stopped reading after this one, i'll look more later

if you aren't noticing when players do things waaay out of line and very fishy like this you are playing too many tables

[Mark1978]

45764825 all looks fine, apart from this easy shove. I find it hard to believe you are break-even at the $6.50s based what I've seen.

POKERSTARS GAME #9001819528: TOURNAMENT #45764825, $6.00+$0.50 HOLD'EM NO LIMIT - LEVEL VII (100/200) - 2007/03/20 - 16:52:59 (ET)
Table '45764825 1' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: Gorvad (2365 in chips)
Seat 2: deFKon (5850 in chips)
Seat 4: WH@T_U_S@Y (3085 in chips)
Seat 5: Baron Eugen (2200 in chips)
Gorvad: posts the ante 25
deFKon: posts the ante 25
WH@T_U_S@Y: posts the ante 25
Baron Eugen: posts the ante 25
Baron Eugen: posts small blind 100
Gorvad: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Gorvad [Ad Qh]
deFKon: folds
WH@T_U_S@Y: calls 200
Baron Eugen: calls 100
Gorvad: checks
*** FLOP *** [2d 5d 5h]
Baron Eugen: checks
Gorvad: checks
WH@T_U_S@Y: bets 400
Baron Eugen: calls 400
Gorvad: folds
*** TURN *** [2d 5d 5h] [9h]
Baron Eugen: bets 1575 and is all-in
WH@T_U_S@Y: folds
Baron Eugen collected 1500 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1500 | Rake 0
Board [2d 5d 5h 9h]
Seat 1: Gorvad (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: deFKon folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: WH@T_U_S@Y (button) folded on the Turn
Seat 5: Baron Eugen (small blind) collected (1500)

[Mingdu]

Seat 1: Gorvad (3080 in chips)
Seat 2: theezenuts (1310 in chips)
Seat 3: chipman18 (865 in chips)
Seat 4: dtnmlp (2965 in chips)
Seat 5: derek tom (2645 in chips)
Seat 6: bsandkcs (945 in chips)
Seat 9: Slade222 (1690 in chips)
Slade222: posts small blind 75
Gorvad: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Gorvad [4h 4c]
theezenuts: folds
chipman18: folds
dtnmlp: folds
derek tom: folds
bsandkcs: raises 795 to 945 and is all-in
Slade222: folds
Gorvad: folds
bsandkcs collected 375 from pot
bsandkcs: doesn't show hand

Next hand ...

Seat 1: Gorvad (2930 in chips)
Seat 2: theezenuts (1310 in chips)
Seat 3: chipman18 (865 in chips)
Seat 4: dtnmlp (2965 in chips)
Seat 5: derek tom (2645 in chips)
Seat 6: bsandkcs (1170 in chips)
Seat 9: Slade222 (1615 in chips)
Gorvad: posts small blind 75
theezenuts: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Gorvad [6c 5c]
chipman18: folds
dtnmlp: folds
derek tom: folds
bsandkcs: folds
Slade222: folds
Gorvad: raises 2780 to 2930 and is all-in
theezenuts: folds
Gorvad collected 300 from pot
Gorvad: doesn't show hand

Looks tilty to me ... like you wished you had called the small stack and were making up for it here.